{"id":819,"date":"2013-01-13T12:48:29","date_gmt":"2013-01-13T12:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=819"},"modified":"2013-01-20T13:02:14","modified_gmt":"2013-01-20T13:02:14","slug":"humility-unifies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=819","title":{"rendered":"Humility Unifies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Message by Chad Kelly<\/strong><\/p>\n

rec0113-113047<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Introduction<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Gilmer High School Varsity Wrestling Team brought home another State Duals Championship Title last night!\u00a0 The team\u201d\u2122s 10th<\/sup> State Title, their 4th<\/sup> State Duals Title in a row, and the final match yesterday afternoon marked Coach Snider\u201d\u2122s 400th<\/sup> Duals win.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You may be wondering what this \u201cDuals\u201d word is all about.\u00a0 Wrestling is, in one way, an individual sport, as each wrestler goes to the mat and competes one on one.\u00a0 But wrestling teams compete AS TEAMS as well.\u00a0 One wrestler from each team represents his team in each weight class and the team that wins the most individual matches wins the team match.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Gilmer Wrestling Coaching Staff are masters at building a line up that will bring home a team victory.\u00a0 Not every individual match will be won.\u00a0 Not every wrestler on the team will get to wrestle in every battle against another team.\u00a0 The coaches study their opponents and learn which weight classes are going to present the toughest challenges and which should be fairly easy wins.\u00a0 And then they put the Gilmer wrestlers that fit the bill for the need in each weight class in that slot to wrestle for the team and, ultimately, bring home a team victory\u201d\u201deven a STATE-WIDE victory!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now\u201d\u00a6as you can imagine, this isn\u201d\u2122t always easy on the individual wrestler because sometimes he won\u201d\u2122t get to wrestle at all in a match.\u00a0 Those individual wrestlers are called to be team players who are humble enough to forego their own desire to be the man on the mat for the good of the team.\u00a0 A Gilmer wrestler has to trust his coach\u201d\u2122s judgment and keep the big picture goal of a team victory in mind when he\u201d\u2122s told that he won\u201d\u2122t be wrestling today.\u00a0 And I admire those boys who find themselves in that position and yet are right there cheering on their individual teammates\u201d\u201dand their team\u201d\u201dto victory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Truth be told\u201d\u00a6we can learn something about humility and unity and teamwork for the greater good from the Gilmer Wrestling Team.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Isn\u201d\u2122t that exactly how the body of Christ should function?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Humility Unifies<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Philippians 2:1-8<\/h4>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Philippians 2:1-8 (MSG)<\/span><\/h4>\n

1-4<\/sup><\/strong>If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care\u201d\u201d then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.<\/p>\n

5-8<\/sup><\/strong>Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! <\/em>Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death\u201d\u201dand the worst kind of death at that\u201d\u201da crucifixion.<\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

1 John 3:16 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us.\u00a0 And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian friends.<\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul Tournier<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are two things that we cannot do alone:\u00a0 one is to be married and the other is to be a Christian.<\/p>\n

(Yancey, Why Bother with Church?<\/span>, 37)<\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chuck Swindoll<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maybe we should confess that one reason we find it so hard to set selfishness aside and adopt the spirit of a servant is that we’re driven by dreams of success. We want to be winners.<\/p>\n

Face it; we live in a success-saturated society. Right next to the books applauding our selfishness are dozens of bestsellers telling us how we can be more successful. Dozens of books and magazines every year, along with scores of DVDs and hundreds of seminars, offer new ideas and new motivation techniques that have the promise of prosperity. Success is big business. No wonder thinking like servants is so hard.<\/p>\n

Curiously, however, few ever address what most folks want (but seldom find) in their pursuit of success: contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, and relief. On the contrary, the roads that are supposed to lead to success are not only rocky; they’re maddening. As the Executive’s Digest once reported, “The trouble with success is that the formula is the same as the one for a nervous breakdown.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the way<\/strong>\u201d\u00a6if your walk with Christ and service to Him don\u201d\u2122t result in contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, and relief, then you\u201d\u2122re probably trying to serve Jesus in a self-centered, self-glorifying way\u201d\u00a6and it cannot be done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If it\u201d\u2122s all about you, if it\u201d\u2122s all about me, then it cannot<\/em> be about HIM!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And ONLY when I\u201d\u2122m serving for His glory will the Holy Spirit give me the contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction and relief for which I truly long!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Philippians 2 (NLT)<\/h4>\n

1<\/sup><\/strong> Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2<\/sup><\/strong> Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.<\/p>\n

3<\/sup><\/strong> Don\u201d\u2122t be selfish; don\u201d\u2122t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4<\/sup><\/strong> Don\u201d\u2122t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.<\/p>\n

5<\/sup><\/strong> You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.<\/p>\n

6<\/sup><\/strong> Though he was God,
\nhe did not think of equality with God
\nas something to cling to.
\n7<\/sup><\/strong> Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
\nhe took the humble position of a slave
\nand was born as a human being.
\nWhen he appeared in human form,
\n8<\/sup><\/strong> he humbled himself in obedience to God
\nand died a criminal\u201d\u2122s death on a cross.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chuck Swindoll<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stop permitting two strong tendencies—selfishness and conceit—to control you! Let nothing that either of these words suggests win a hearing. Replace “selfishness” and “conceit” with “humility of mind.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But how?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By regarding others as more important than yourself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Look for ways to support, encourage, build up, and stimulate the other person.\u00a0 And that requires an attitude that would rather give than receive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

WHY live this way?\u00a0 Because JESUS did!\u00a0 And we\u201d\u2122re following HIM!<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

John 13:1-17\u00a0(MSG)<\/h4>\n

1-2<\/sup><\/strong> Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end. It was suppertime. The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.<\/p>\n

3-6<\/sup><\/strong>Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Master, you wash my feet?”<\/p>\n

7<\/sup><\/strong>Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.”<\/p>\n

8<\/sup><\/strong>Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet\u201d\u201dever!”<\/p>\n

Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.”<\/p>\n

9<\/sup><\/strong>“Master!” said Peter. “Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!”<\/p>\n

10-12<\/sup><\/strong>Jesus said, “If you’ve had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you’re clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene. So now you’re clean. But not every one of you.” (He knew who was betraying him. That’s why he said, “Not every one of you.”) After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table.<\/p>\n

12-17<\/sup><\/strong>Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it\u201d\u201dand live a blessed life.<\/p>\n

If I find myself unwilling to serve someone, unwilling to \u201cwash the feet\u201d of a certain person, then Christ-like humility is far from my heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

Because Jesus washed the feet of proud and aggravating Peter\u201d\u00a6but even more amazing\u201d\u00a6Jesus washed the feet of Judas, the one who was about to betray him into the hands of those who would beat him, mock him and spit on him all before they attached him to a crucifix by nailing spikes through His hands and feet.<\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Romans 12:10-11 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.\u00a0 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.<\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ronnie McBrayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

All forms of coercion, status, respectability, and jockeying for power are rejected for service, vulnerability, liability, and submission to others.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the way\u201d\u00a6all of these forms of pride and arrogance\u201d\u201dcoercion, status, respectability and jockeying for power\u201d\u201drear their ugly heads in the church\u201d\u201deven in the name of \u201cservice to the Lord\u201d!\u00a0 And sometimes it\u201d\u2122s hard to recognize such attitudes for what they are.\u00a0 Yet you\u201d\u2122ll know something\u201d\u2122s not right.\u00a0 Even if you can\u201d\u2122t put your finger on it, even if it\u201d\u2122s not crystal clear and you can\u201d\u2122t quite explain it\u201d\u00a6you\u201d\u2122ll know\u201d\u00a6because the Holy Spirit will be speaking to you, convicting you that you\u201d\u2122re self-focused\u201d\u00a6or that, even though their words are smooth, the person speaking to you doesn\u201d\u2122t have Christ\u201d\u2122s glory and the good of His church at heart, but rather, a selfish desire to be recognized, to control, to be applauded.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ronnie McBrayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If there is not the danger \u201d\u201c even the expectation \u201d\u201c that we will be taken advantage of, that we will be marginalized, even nailed to a cross, then we have not yet humbled ourselves.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And furthermore<\/span><\/strong>\u201d\u00a6WHEN we are taken advantage of and marginalized, if we buck up and demand respect\u201d\u00a6guess what just happened?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Humility that forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who JESUS is just flew out the window!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And it just became all about me once again!<\/p>\n

Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Conclusion–<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chuck Swindoll<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let me suggest a couple of revealing tests of humility:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. An authentic desire to help others that doesn\u201d\u2122t factor in your cost or recognition.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    I’m referring to a sensitive, spontaneous awareness of needs.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    A true servant stays in touch with the struggles others experience.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    There is that humility of mind that continually looks for ways to serve and to give.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    And it\u201d\u2122s not about your recognition.<\/p>\n

    It\u201d\u2122s done gladly, for Christ\u201d\u2122s sake, if no one EVER thanks you\u201d\u201dor even knows you\u201d\u2122ve done it!<\/p>\n

    Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \u00a0A non-defensive spirit when confronted<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      This reveals a willingness to be accountable and teachable.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Genuine humility operates on a rather simple philosophy:<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Nothing to prove.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Nothing to lose.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      If your knee-jerk reaction to being held accountable or to being instructed is to defend yourself, then you\u201d\u2122re pride, not humility, is the driving force in your heart\u201d\u201deven in your \u201cservice to the Lord\u201d!<\/em><\/p>\n

      Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      Philip Yancey<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      I like to think of the church as one of those Emergi-Centers:\u00a0 open long hours, convenient to find, willing to serve the needs of people who drop in with unexpected emergencies.<\/p>\n

      . . . it grieves me to see local churches that run more like a business institution than a family . . . failure does not cancel out membership . . . A healthy family builds up the weakest members while not tearing down the strong . . . Family is the one human institution we have no choice over . . . Church calls for another step:\u00a0 to voluntarily choose to band together with a strange menagerie because of a common bond in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Philippians 2:5 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.\u00a0 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.\u00a0 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.<\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Humility forgets self and builds up others with the result of true unity that shows the world Who Jesus is!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Message by Chad Kelly rec0113-113047   Introduction \u00a0 The Gilmer High School Varsity Wrestling Team brought home another State Duals Championship Title last night!\u00a0 The team\u201d\u2122s 10th State Title, their 4th State Duals Title in a row, and the final … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-messages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=819"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":822,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819\/revisions\/822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}